Joebinks

I shadowed one CRNA before school but it was about 3 years before I started. Well, I made it to the second semester of school but am still not enjoying it. Yes, it is VERY stressful and difficult. Your heart really needs to be into it to be able to get up at 4:30 in the morning for clinical. I think we had about 22 exams first semester. The content is interesting, but I just don't enjoy the environment. I loved working in the ER as a nurse and am just not getting that same joy. I enjoy the movement, the drama, and interacting with many patients on a daily basis. The patient interaction in anesthesia is extremely short, it is a controlled environment 99% of the time, and you spend most of the day reacting to monitors and charting. I want to be at least half-way excited to go to work every morning. Sure, the money is good, but I don't think that will keep me going. I'm thinking about switching to a nurse practitioner program and hopefully working in an ER somewhere-that's where my passion is. Of course, I don't want to make any hasty decisions yet. Any advice?

Thanks for the responses. Wildcatarnp...what do you mean by your sister working in an outpatient setting? Is it an outpatient surgery center? I have considered the other possible settings to work in as a CRNA, but it seems that the majority of hospitals staff their CRNAs in the OR. I think surgery is fascinating but haven't been able to develop much of a fascination for anesthesia. Is this a bad sign? As far as being an ACNP in the ER...it always seemed like the NPs worked in the fast track and never really got anything too exciting. It was the docs who saw the more complicated or emergent patients. I'd honestly rather work as an RN in the ER instead of an ACNP.

I'm 3 months into my CRNA program and have just started my clinical rotations. I'm starting to have doubts as to whether this is the right career path for me. I worked in the ICU for 4 years and the ER for 1 year. I ended up loving the ER. I loved the pace, the minimal charting, the personalities of the nurses, and the shift flexibility. There was something extremely satisfying about having a patient come in feeling awful and then leaving a couple hours later feeling great. I rarely saw that in the ICU...it was slower progress if any. The main reason I am apprehensive about being a CRNA is because I don't think I'll enjoy working in the OR. I feel trapped behind the curtain and feel like the work, although extremely technical, can become monotonous. I enjoy moving, being able to interact with people, and experiencing their appreciation. The pre-op visit doesn't give me enough of that. The coursework is extremely demanding and I'm really at the point where I need to decide whether to continue CRNA school or consider a different program. I'm hesitant to drop out because I realize anesthesia offers so much and I may not have this opportunity again if I quit. Are there any CRNAs who had some of the same doubts as me early on?

To all who got accepted to Raleigh Anesthesia School-Could you tell us how much experience you have, GPA, GRE, and certifications that got you into the program?

I applied. No news as of yet. Someone I work with said she got an interview invite via email a couple days ago. I called the school on Jan 10th and they said they were still sending out invitations.